territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtȯr-ē 

plural territories

1

a

: a geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

b

: an administrative subdivision of a country

c

: a part of the U.S. not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature

d

: a geographic area (such as a colonial possession) dependent on an external government but having some degree of autonomy

2

a

: an indeterminate geographic area

b

: a field of knowledge or interest

3

a

: an assigned area

especially : one in which a sales representative or distributor operates

b

: an area often including a nesting or denning site and a variable foraging range that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

Phrases

go with the territory or come with the territory

: to be a natural or unavoidable aspect or accompaniment of a particular situation, position, or field

criticism goes with the territory in this job

Synonyms

• habitat
• home
• niche
• range

Examples of territory in a Sentence

Those mountains are in Mexican territory.

Guam is a U.S. territory.

The birds are busy establishing territories and building nests.

Male cats spray to mark territory.

The goal of the expedition is to map unexplored territory.

Recent Examples on the Web

Without that self-reflection, memoir can slip into murky, confusing territory. —Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 26 Apr. 2024

The students demanded that the university cut all its ties with Israel's government and divest from companies that support Israel's military occupation of Palestinian territory. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024

That same bill included about $8 billion in security assistance for Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its territory. —Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024

Their 2010 hits compilation Recurring Dream also topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart and is one of four Crowded House album to crack the top 10 in that territory. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024

But more than one million Gazans, many of them previously displaced from other parts of the territory by Israeli bombardment, are sheltering in the city in makeshift tents. —Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

The group, in messages posted online, issued a series of demands for their university to disclose and cut all ties with Israel, and for Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territory and agree to a cease-fire in Gaza. —Meg Oliver, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2024

In reaction, Israel imposed a blockade on the territory that made Gazans even poorer. —Tom Segev, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024

Of those, several ballistic missiles reached Israeli territory, causing minor damage to an air base. —Joseph Federman, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin territorium, literally, land around a town, from terra land — more at terrace entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing territory

• come with the territory
• dangerous ground/territory
• enemy territory
• go with the territory
• poach on someone's territory/turf
• trust territory
• uncharted territory/waters
• union territory
• virgin territory

Kids Definition

territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

plural territories

1

a

: a geographic area belonging to or under the control of a government

b

: a part of the U.S. not included within any state but having a separate governing body

2

a

: an assigned area

a sales representative's territory

b

: an area that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

Legal Definition

territory

noun

ter·​ri·​to·​ry ˈter-ə-ˌtōr-ē 

plural territories

1

: a geographical area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

2

: a political subdivision of a country

3

: a part of the U.S. (as Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands) not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature compare trust territory

territorial

ˌter-ə-ˈtōr-ē-əl 

adjective

territorially adverb